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Leicester fans SHOULD NOT protest at an Arsenal home game

Why do Fans of Other Clubs want to Protest at Arsenal Home Matches? by the Analyser

An article appeared on this site indicating that Leicester fans were planning to delay entering the stadium until after five minutes to protest against TV scheduling of matches. A question was posed in the article about whether Arsenal fans should join in the protest. In the comments section, discussion veered off into ticket pricing with some fans calling for a boycott. My first reaction was why did the Leicester fans choose to protest at this match? Was it their first match whose scheduling was changed? Two seasons ago Liverpool fans wanted to boycott an FA Cup match against Arsenal citing ticket prices, and ended up with a proposal on a pricing model they said would apply in the event the match ended in a draw requiring a replay at Anfield.

We always talk about mind games in relation to club managers. Is it not possible that opposition fans can also play mind games in important matches by disrupting tradition and morale at an away ground? The generality of the football fraternity knows that anything to do with protests at the Emirates will excite interest from some home fans, thanks to distortion of facts by the media about the club’s ticket prices. A report by Sky Sports earlier in the season indicated that Liverpool (£45.74) and Tottenham(£41.90) had on average the most expensive tickets per game, with Arsenal fourth at £39.00 per match (http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10021170/premier-league-ticket-prices-revealed). This was despite the fact that Arsenal had the most expensive ticket. What this means is that the most expensive ticket at Arsenal applies to a tiny minority of fans, which the club believe have the capacity to pay. These wealthy fans subsidize the average fan, who is now complaining that their benefactors are paying way too much. Ironically, the same fans want a benefactor in the name of Usmanov to come and subsidize the club so that they will pay as little as the Man City fans do.

Governments across the globe tax citizens on a sliding scale with the rich being taxed heavily. I am yet to hear the low income earners complaining to governments that taxes are high, citing rates applicable to their wealthy counterparts. Food for thought.

Stadium-going fans should not in any way think that TVs and the EPL are ignoring fans in their scheduling of matches. Match scheduling by TVs takes into account the need to reach out to the highest number of fans across the globe having regard to time differences, among other factors. Ironically the same fans want ticket prices to go down because of TV money. As a matter of fact TV money is a direct product of fans that do not go to stadiums but watch matches on TV. Without those fans there will be no adverts on TV, hence to TV money. What attract fans to TVs are not fans at the stadium but activities on the pitch. While activities on the stands form part of the football experience, it is not true that fans will not watch matches on TV should matches be played in empty stadiums. Essentially stadium-going fans are overplaying their hand in this issue.

Does it mean that stadium-going fans are no longer important to football? They are important in many respects but they have to accept that football has evolved over the years. It has now become a global phenomenon, with clubs having huge global fan-bases. TVs are the medium through which clubs reach out to those fan-bases, as such TV scheduling of matches is an important feature of the modern game; a reality which stadium-going fans should live with. Admittedly a lot of improvements could be made in match scheduling to allow fans to plan properly. I believe this can be achieved through engagement among concerned parties rather than disruptive theatrics as those planned by Leicester fans.

11 thoughts on “Leicester fans SHOULD NOT protest at an Arsenal home game”

About time someone put the record straight about our ticket prices and you put it very clearly for all to understand. So to recap, whilst we do have the most expensive ticket we also have the cheapest. But suggesting that a bunch of Leicester fans have the inteligence to stage a 5 minute protest as mind games is a bit far fetched. Let them protest and be 2 down when they eventually take their seats!!

The protest has nothing to do with ticket prices as you stated to start with, but then drifted off into your rant about it!
It’s about TV scheduling of the game, or should I say re-scheduling. What the LCFC fans are annoyed about is the late re-scheduling of the game, after they had bought their tickets, paid for the train/travel to London, in some cases booked an overnight stay and arranged their weekend around the game, only to find that the TV companies change it to suit their agenda.
Will a 5 minute protest make any difference, no, but it’s their only way of showing their disgust at being looked on as un-important.
Your article sounds like someone who has never followed a team throughout the season, travelling up and down the country, supporting your team. Until you’ve done that, you’ll never understand the passion of true supporters who do.
TV revenue is important in the modern game (sadly, too important it seems), but lets not forget the fans in the stadium who make the real atmosphere, and without us, the game is nothing.

@stubill, attending or not attending the games live in the stadium doesn’t make any fan REAL or FAKE, go to some other places of the world and you will see even better passion, going to stadium is just a privilege, which means someone can afford to be there. but doesn’t make him more real than others. Its in the heart.

If leicester protest a not, we must win cos it seems to me we are already looking for excuses..
OT:
There are rumours Gab is injured,if true then Mertz can do a good job…
Recently, I have seen comments saying if we don’t play Gab we will lose..I just smile…Mert has played and coped well with bigger games than this…always calm and intelligent..he has faced better strikers than vardy and has done well…maybe he needs a little break which he has gotten, now he is refreshed and hungry for more…
Gabriel is for now all about pace and aggresion..I dunno if am wrong but he is not assured on the ball and seems to shake, maybe with more game time, he will adapt.coyg!!

Leicester fans have the balls to protest even though their team is on top of the table. But as for we,,,,,we are soo scared like a little child lost in the forest. All we no is to talk n talk n talk like some of our players.

Hello fellow gooners..Just wanted to say something before the game today. WHY WE HAVE TO FEAR LEICESTER? BECAUSE OF THEIR PACE? STAMINA? well we should show them TH SAME AS WE DID WHEN WE BEAT THEM LAST TIME…we should be FEAR OF BARCA but not a team which last years was almost relegated but this year is doing fantastic due to the BIG ONES DOING SO POOR..WE ARE PLAYING AT HOME..LET’S SHOW SOME INTENT AND BEAT THEM ..what’s all the fuss about? we need to replicate the same half hour against UTD and score 3 goals then control the tempo of the game so when they get desperate we kill them with their own medicine..TEAM SELECTION AND SUBS ARE KEY TODAY..in fact, WE ARE ARSENAL..NO FEAR…GABRIEL IS SHAKY BECAUSE IN ONE YEAR HAS PLAYED A HANDFUL OF GAMES..OTHERS PLAYING FOR YEARS STILL SHAKY AND USELESS..DO NOT JUDGE THE GUY..YOU FIGHT PACE WITH PACE..good luck

Let people protest when they want. It’s a protest after all against the system and status quo. It shouldn’t be convenient for t other parties.

TV messes up the fans in the ground, who would be soon missed if not there. Wouldn’t be so global either if clubs didn’t start/remain with a looked after fan base.

There was an article the other day from one of the fans who protested at AFC when bayern visited our ground because of their disgust at having to pay stupid money to watch their team play us in champions league game.

He said that it wasn’t paying for some once in a lifetime performance from Michael Jackson (where he had been brought back from the dead!:) but just one of a new of football matches (not the world cup final either) So pricing structures should be in line with the product. Like at Bayern, like West Ham intend to offer. He also said the PL top clubs were now devoid of atmosphere an that I much to do with stadiums being filled by tourists able t o afford tickets an not locals who couldnt.

Barca fans pay less than ours to watch Messi, Neymar and suarez amongst others so something with this TV signal ain’t right here!

Invest in the team and your fans and stop sitting on or mis-using the finances that they give you.